dceptiveophelia

I have tried various prescription acne meds, (topical). Here's my usage timeline:

Benzamicin: 1 1/4 years
Differin: 1 year
Benzaclin: 1 year
Retin-A Micro: 3 Months
Ortho Tri-Cyclin: 2 years

I had the same results from Differin & Retin-A. They both dried out my skin horribly...cracked lip corners and "sunburn" type of peel, with no results. Benzaclin was gentler on my skin, but no real results from that either. Ortho Tri-Cyclin worked great for clearing up the acne on my chest and back, but not on my face. Benzamicin was the best. It took 10 months for my skin to clear up, but after that it was in great shape. I have had pretty bad acne (especially cysts on my lower face) since I was 10, 11 years old and I am 21 now.

I stopped using the topical meds because I don't have insurance anymore, but I still take the Ortho (only about $30 w/o insurance). But this is kinda funny...I picked up this product called "ProAcne" from Sav-on (it is also at Target, Walgreens, etc). It is a knock off of ProActiv, but only $17-29. I have been using it for about two months now, and my skin is starting to clear up really well. The product lasts a long time, so I've saved $$$, and it is really gentle on my skin. I keep the BP Repair Lotion in the fridge, going on the advice of a book called "The Acne Cure" (this is a great book, look it up on Borders.com). I think it is because my skin responds better to BP, but everyone is different. They say that Retin-A Micro should deliver full results in 7 weeks...it didn't for me, so I stopped using. Good luck with your search! I know how hard it is!